Featured video

Description: A synthetic narcotic, fentanyl has been detected in an increasing number of illicit drug overdose deaths in Metro Vancouver. Many of the people who died were recreational and/or occasional users and don’t appear to have known they were ingesting fentanyl, as it is easily hidden in other drugs.

Clinical trial tracks ‘hand-me-down immunity’ in infants

At the urging of public health officials, about 47 per cent of women in B.C. who were pregnant during the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic got the vaccine, far higher than the usual rate of 15 to 20 per cent, said Deborah Money, a professor of gynecology of the University of British Columbia.

Photograph by: Ryan Remiorz
, THE CANADIAN PRESS

Robust new data on the safety and efficacy of vaccinating pregnant women collected after the 2009 influenza pandemic has prompted Canadian researchers to attempt to “pre-load” infants with immunity to other potentially deadly diseases during gestation by inoculating their mothers.

At the urging of public health officials, about 47 per cent of women in B.C. who were pregnant during the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic got the vaccine, far higher than the usual rate of 15 to 20 per cent, said Deborah Money, a professor of gynecology of the University of British Columbia.

“Pregnant women and their newborn infants are particularly vulnerable to infectious diseases and the pandemic really reinforced our understanding that immunization in pregnancy works well to protect both the mom from the infection, but more importantly it also transmits protection to the newborn in early infancy,” she said.

Researchers noted in the aftermath of the pandemic that none of the babies born to mothers who were immunized against H1N1 became infected by the virus. The vaccination appeared to confer “hand-me-down immunity” to the infants, she said.

“It wasn’t set up as a study, but it looks very promising,” said Money. “It reinforces this evolving idea that pregnancy is actually a brilliant time to vaccinate for their own protection and for new born infants who are in the most vulnerable period [of their lives].”

The new UBC-led study, sited at BC Women’s Hospital and BC Children’s Hospital, will enrol 50 pregnant women to receive the pertussis vaccine, which is designed to protect against whooping cough, tetanus and diphtheria.

About half of newborns that contract whooping cough will be hospitalized and five per cent will die, said Money. Infants routinely receive the pertussis vaccine at two months, which leaves open a window of vulnerability for the disease to strike.

Money and her colleague Simon Dobson, who studies pediatric infectious disease at UBC, monitor the blood and breast milk of mothers and the cord blood of the infants for antibodies.

The researchers are hopeful that their “cocooning” strategy of protecting babies by immunizing mothers during pregnancy can be extended to other illnesses that can sicken and kill infants during the first weeks of life, such as RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), meningitis and pneumonia.

“The popularity of this strategy [in the medical community] and the willingness of people to vaccinate during pregnancy is relatively new,” said Money. “It appears that pregnancy is not a time to avoid vaccination, but to embrace it with vaccines that we know are safe.”

At the urging of public health officials, about 47 per cent of women in B.C. who were pregnant during the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic got the vaccine, far higher than the usual rate of 15 to 20 per cent, said Deborah Money, a professor of gynecology of the University of British Columbia.

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Canadian cities need to have an open debate about the risks and benefits of Chinese money — including “hot” funds brought in by corrupt officials — in Canada’s housing market, according to a former senior Harper government official.